Being a good leader requires, at times, delegating control to other members of the team when they are better equipped at a particular part of the project. It means not getting hurt when the group favors an idea other than your own, but taking a stand when you see those ideas taking the group off course. It also requires making sure everyone’s contribution is rightly recognized while not diminishing your administrative contributions. In the end the experience is incredibly rewarding.

— Kelly Turner

Colleen Strawhacker is the "only archaeologist in the building" at the National Snow and Ice Data Center, far (at least in temperature) from her training in the U.S. Southwest. She says: "They hired me due to my experience in working with interdisciplinary projects, my interest in studying climate adaptation through archaeology, and my background in working with BIG data projects... Both IGERT and GISER provided me with financial and academic support to be able to pursue all of these projects and become an archaeologist that can truly analyze large-scale environmental questions."